Last year’s home of the PollyGrind film festival (see Page 45), the Sci Fi Center is branching out with its own festival this year, the three-day Black October Art & Film Invasion. In addition to a number of independent horror and sci-fi movies, the event will feature “Blood Coffin” burlesque by Miss Karla Joy; a monster makeup and special effects workshop; and horrific body art created by Rob Hester.

Film highlights include the Las Vegas premiere of the underground horror hit Absentia, Christopher R. Mihm’s loving homage to 1950s B-movies The Monster of Phantom Lake and the world premiere of Brandon Slagle’s “found footage” movie Area 51: Confidential.

Along with various filmmakers, “scream queens” Rachel Grubb, Devanny Pinn, Tiffany Shepis and Rachel Riley will all be on hand for Q&A sessions following their films. Sci Fi Center owner William Powell promises “an entire interactive science-fiction/horror environment,” which means that the scares won’t end once you leave the theater.